CHAPTER NINETEEN
“This must be exhausting for all of you,” said April looking around the table. The faces of the men were intense, engaged in smaller conversations about things she didn’t understand. They all looked up at her, at first confused by the statement.
“You’re right,” nodded Jak. “This is exhausting but it’s what we do to keep our family safe and quite frankly, the country.”
“When will you know more about my grandfather?” she asked.
“We’ve got a team headed to Virginia now with your letter approving exhumation. Once we’re able to evaluate the body, we can make a better determination as to how he actually died,” said Quinn.
“This is all so foreign to me,” she said in a whisper.
“On a bad day, the worst thing that would happen to me is a passenger puking on me or shoving me.
But most of my days were good days. Children on their first plane rides.
Siblings going to visit grandma and grandpa for the first time in years. Couples headed on their honeymoon.
“For the most part, it was good. The idea that the airline, the people I worked with and for were doing something covert, something that would harm America is not anything that ever crossed my mind.”
“It’s a hard lesson to learn,” said Ham.
“We’ve spent our lives always looking for the exits, the bad guys, the possibilities.
We go to the beach and we’re scoping out who could become a problem.
The college buddies two six-packs into their beer for the day, already showing signs of aggression.
The family with five kids and no one is watching them. Even the lifeguards.”
“But that must be exhausting, as I said. Doesn’t that mean you can never relax?
Quinn, Finn, and River were on that beach getting ready to leave their old life behind and yet way down the beach they saw me and Jones or whatever his name is.
You couldn’t even relax for a few moments. ” Quinn smiled at her.
“In many ways, that is our relaxation. It probably won’t ever stop. We’ve been doing it since we were kids. Watching out for the person in trouble.”
“Like me,” smiled Brian coming into the cafeteria. “Hello, everyone. Hi, April. Nice to meet you. I’m Brian Talbot. I’m an attorney with the team here.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“What’s up Brian?” asked Ham.
“I have some questions for April.”
“For me?” she asked surprised by the statement.
“Yes. When your grandfather died, did you receive his life insurance?” April blushed as she looked around the table.
“What the fuck are you asking?” said Quinn.
“Quinn, it’s not what you think,” said Brian.
“It’s okay. No. I understood from his attorney that he donated the entire amount to the Army’s fund for widows and orphans.
I was totally okay with that. The house was going to go to me, but his attorney said it was taking longer than expected to get all of that settled.
Once it was settled I was going to sell the house. ”
“And was your grandfather’s funeral a closed-casket?” he asked.
“Brian,” started Ham. April held up her hand, smiling at the men.
“Yes. He always said he didn’t want people traipsing past his casket whispering about how good he looked, or how terrible he looked. He demanded that it be closed casket and I honored that.”
“Brian, I think you need to explain the questions, brother,” said Quinn. “It’s clear that April didn’t profit at all from her grandfather’s death.”
“Of course, not,” he said shaking his head.
“My apologies if that’s where you thought I was going with all of this.
In fact, you should have profited more from his death which is what had me confused.
So, I started digging. It just so happens that as I started digging, so did the team in Virginia at your grandfather’s grave. ”
The looked at Brian, then back at the confusion filling April’s face. In fact, they were confused by the line of questioning and the possible implications.
“Wh-what are you saying?” asked April quietly. A booming voice joined them from behind Brian, slowly walking toward the table.
“I think maybe I can explain that better.”
Brix, Eazee and Dan stood by the grave of Colonel Tom Lewis as the cemetery personnel began exhuming the coffin. Their intentions were to take the body back to Louisiana where the team would extract any possible tissue, bone, or other things.
It was a slow process to ensure that they didn’t damage the coffin. Since the grave was roughly only two years old, the contents should still be in relatively good condition.
When the casket was raised, the maintenance team gently set it on a riser and nodded to the men.
“We’ll leave you to it. Just call us when you’re ready for us to move it or bury it.”
“Thanks,” nodded Dan. “Man, I give those dudes credit. This is not a job I would want. I guess we open it and see what’s there.”
“Masks,” said Eazee, handing the men each a respirator. If something was done to the colonel, there was no telling if particles in the air could be harmful to the team.
Brix gently pried open the casket, careful to do as little damage as possible. When he was able to life the lid, he slowly pushed back and stared. Looking at the other two men, he stepped back.
“What the fuck is this?” asked Dan.
Inside the casket was nothing except a metal lock box. He took the lock box, pulling it out of the casket and set it on the hard, cold ground. Taking out his tools, he easily picked the lock.
“I wouldn’t open that if I were you,” said the deep baritone voice.
They heard the cocking of a gun and stopped. Dan stood, staring at the man in the leather bomber jacket. He was older but seemed incredibly fit. Dan looked from Brix to Eazee, then back at the man.
“Colonel Tom Lewis, I assume,” he said calmly. The old man eyed him, staring at the three men.
“Who the fuck are you and why are you digging in my grave?”
“I think the better question is, why aren’t you in your grave but we’ll skip over that for now. Your granddaughter would very much like to see you and I think she needs you.”
“Where is she?” he asked anxiously. “Where is April and answer my fucking question. Who are you?”
“Colonel, I think you can put the gun down. My name is Ethan Wolfkill but my friends call me Eazee. That’s Dan Robicheaux and the other man is Brixton Slater.”
The colonel dropped to his knees, the weapon now resting on one thigh. He was crying. Sobbing, actually.
“Sir? Sir, are you alright?” asked Dan.
“She found you. She found all of you.”
“I assume you mean April,” said Eazee. “Yes, she found us and she’s quite safe where she is but we’ve got some questions. Even more now.”
“The groundskeepers and grave diggers knew me. Hell, I’ve been here for more funerals than I’d like to count. They promised me that if anyone attempted to open my grave, they would notify me. I’ve actually been living in the old gardeners cottage.”
“You’ve been living in the cemetery?” frowned Brix. “Why? Why not find us from the start? I mean, it’s clear you knew about our organization. April told us that you told her to find us if she were in trouble. Why didn’t you just reach out to us?”
“I can explain everything but I think we need to leave this place. Others have been watching the grave as well. Take me to my granddaughter. Please.”